The Walking Dead Man
by ThirteenParrots
Summary: The events take place bewteen the 'Appa's Lost Days' and 'The Earth King'. What has happen to the Kyoshi warriors? Someone has found one of the warriors, but will he save her, or finish her? Can a man redeem his spirit without condeming another's spirit?
1. Chapter 1 Part 1

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Avatar, and/or own any part of Avatar. I am just having some fun writing a story set in that world.

Title: The Walking Dead Man

Preface

Breathing hard as he slowly moved to add another log to the fire, the former farmer looked over at the young lady lying on the ground wrapped in what was left of his cloak. She was in a very deep sleep, one that he wondered if she would ever awake from, though for the moment he could see her chest gently rise and fall. The former farmer, now a tracker of sorts, pulled the cloak firmer around the girl, then sat back down on the other side of the fire. Glancing out of the small stone structure he was using as a shelter for himself and the girl, he noticed the rain had slowed to a drizzle but, as black as those clouds moving in from the west looked he doubted it would be long before the heavens opened up wide again. A cold wind came whipping through the structure making the tracker shiver, and with that wind came an all too familiar smell.

"By the spirits… just when I have final forgotten that awful stench! Who knew burnt human flesh would smell so sickeningly sweet!" The worn out man said aloud, though no one except the sleeping girl was around to hear him. His stomach felt like a naval battle was taking place in it. He wasn't sure what would come out, if his stomach did decide to heave it's contents, considering he hadn't eaten in more than ten days. As the tracker tore off a piece of cloth from what little remained of his pants and wrapped around his nose and mouth, he thought to himself, "Hiroshu, why are you hesitating? You have the means to save yourself and continue hunting those responsible for the loss of your daughter."

Staring hard at the young lass as she quietly laid near the fire, wrapped in his worn out cloak, Hiroshu's thoughts continued to taunt him. "All you need to do is touch her, it would be over quickly, and besides she'll probably be dead before morning anyway. If you wait until then she'll be no good for you and you will perish with her." As he started to reach for her, the tracker noticed for the first time how old she looked. The girl was close to the age his daughter would be if she were still around. That realization hit him as hard as if he had been hit in the chest by an earth bender's boulder, and he jerked back so hard he nearly hit his head on the wall of the stone structure and kicked the fire. Quickly patting down his feet the former farmer curled up and started to cry. As the tears freely flowed, Hiroshu thought aloud, "By the kind spirits… what have I become? That I would even contemplate killing an innocent child to save this wretch of a man."

At that very moment, the stone structure shook violently as a lightning bolt struck a tree only a few feet from the shelter. Hiroshu's ears started to bleed from the very loud echoing the thunder clap had caused inside the shaky shelter. The tracker nearly blacked out, and probably would have, if he hadn't fallen forward and started to choke on the hot ambers floating up from the fire. After several minutes of choking and disorientation, the tracker in Hiroshu settled down the former farmer, and at which point he finally notice the wide eyed confused stare of the young lady looking at him. She had sat up and turned the cloak so it covered her front side, the side that was facing him, otherwise she just kept looking back and forth between Hiroshu and the now very heavy downpour outside the stone structure.

Hiroshu spoke in as a gentle, unthreatening, monotone voice as he could, "My name is Hiroshu, I was a farmer, a husband, a father, and a good man once. Now,…now,…" sighing, "now, I am just a tracker, a would be killer, and one very broken man."

At these words the girl scooted backwards to put her back against the wall, picked up a chunk of rock holding it in a defensive manner, and continued to watch the former farmer across the fire. Through very parched lips the young lass croaked in a rough voice, "My… na...me…is Su…ki," clearing her throat by spiting out a bit of blood she continued, "Where are… the rest of …the Kyo…shi…warriors?"

"First, let me rest assure you at this point I am no threat to you. Second, I know nothing of any other people in the area, you are the only person I have come across in the last couple of days. Lastly, however most importantly, both of us are in such bad shape it is unlikely either of us is going to see too many more days without some help." Hiroshu said in a matter fact manner as was possible. Suki stayed in her defensive position but motioned for Hiroshu to continue.

The broken man, in the most sad, defeated, and hopeless voice Suki had ever heard, stated, "Suki is it? I have a story to tell, about how not to live one's life, at the end of it, I am going to save your life and maybe through that act I can redeem my spirit." Hiroshu leaned forward more over the fire so the young lass could get a better look at him. Where she could for the first time see the charred loose hanging flesh barely clinging to the left arm and ribs. "By the spirits…I just can't get that awful stench out of my nose! Who knew one's own burnt flesh would smell so sickeningly sweet!" Suki recoiled from the sight and stench of Hiroshu, and as a look of horror crossed her face, the former farmer and now tracker of sorts, began his tale.

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Chapter 1

Spirits of the Falls

Part 1

"Come now dear, we've only a little farther to go, surely you can stay awake awhile longer, or am I truly that boring of a conversationalist," the farmer said a cheerier voice than he truly felt. He was nervous and trying hard to not let her feel his hand shake as he put his arm around her waist. Hiroshu was both excited and scared at the same time, excited that maybe she could be the one to finally end his lonely existence and scared that maybe she just might not give copper coin about him. "Well,…" Hiroshu thought to himself, "just remember, she has already seen you at your worse, what more do you have left to lose?"

In a pleading but undefeated tone the young lass stated, "It's not that you are boring me, Hiroshu. It's the fact that it is near midnight, is cold, has been raining for most of the day and night, we're out in the middle of nowhere and you have been leading me on for hours now." As she made her last point, the young lady pulled his cloak tighter around herself to help fight off the damp evening chill. "Besides, you are the one, who insisted that I keep my eyes closed while you led me here."

"True enough, however, I only wanted to be able to surprise you, not have you go to sleep on me and miss the whole treat." Hiroshu pulled back the reins on his team of ostrich horses to bring the wagon to a stop. "We are here, but I am afraid I am going to ask you to keep your sparklingly beautiful emerald eyes closed for short bit more. Take my hand and I'll lead you to the final location." As she gently took hold of his hand, the farmer couldn't help but blush, turning a deep shade of red. "By the spirits…I am glad she isn't seeing me blush," he thought to himself. "Be careful where you step there is an out cropping of broken stone just a few feet ahead of us and I am sure you don't want to stub your toes." Hiroshu, guided her around the out cropping, which was just one of many fallen and broken statues amongst the grove of large pines trees in the area. After about another quarter hour of traveling, Hiroshu brought his young lady friend to a halt in front of a large ravine. Again, in a voice much more cheerful than he felt the farmer said, "Oh good, we did time it right and are not too late." Pride started to fill the farmer and he puffed his chest out like rooster rabbit. Turning his young friend to face in the direction of ravine, he told her, "You may open those sparklingly beautiful emerald eyes of yours now, my dear Kyoko."

Kyoko opened her eyes and stretched out before her was a gorgeous waterfall that appeared to gently caress the side of the ravine as a lover might, more so than the thunderous pounding of tons of water on rock that was actually happening. Behind the waterfall, up in the night sky was a very full brightly glowing moon that nicely backlit the waterfall, and the surrounding forest, casting everything in a warm soft comfortable light. But the most unique feature of the whole scene was not one, but two brilliant full spectrum rainbows. The first, playfully danced with the falling water across the ravine, reaching out with arms of color to eagerly hug the tops of the giant pine trees in an embrace of everlasting friendship. The second one, painted itself across the surface of the moon, and though smaller than the first one, had colors so clear, so sharp, so deep, and so intense, one could swear that all color in the world had decide to leave and went to the moon. Kyoko tried to say something, but the words caught in her throat, and nothing came out but her breathe leaving her speechless.

Hiroshu lightly put his hands around the young lass's shoulders steadying her and as calmly as he could addressed her, "Dear one, relax, take easy deep breathes,…that's it, breathe in,…hold,…breathe out. Breathe in,…hold,…"

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"…breathe out. That's it Suki you have your breathing back under control. You need to stay calm and keep your breathing steady." The former farmer said, as he leaned back away from the fire so Suki couldn't see his injuries as well or smell his charred flesh as easily. In a sorrowful manner, Hiroshu, told the frighten girl on the other side of the stone structure, "You have internal injuries that are causing you to bleed on the inside. As good as you look on the outside, you are in reality in worse shape than I. Burnt very badly I am yet, it is only the surface of my body that is physically damaged." Hiroshu, watched as the young lass pulled his worn out cloak tighter around her in an unsuccessful attempt to keep out the damp evening chill as she took in what he was saying. The tracker now knew if he didn't do something soon, the female child wasn't going to ever become a woman. Again, his thought's taunted him, threaten him, and even pleaded with him, "do it! Take her, use her up, save yourself! Do what you know you must do!!!"

"I will do what I must," Hiroshu said aloud as the tracker within him gleefully eyed the dying Kyoshi warrior. "But, I will not kill her!" Upon hearing those words, the tracker within him angrily gave way to the former farmer and Suki gave him a very puzzled look. She tried to lift the rock into a defensive position again, however, this time the lady fighter was too weak to lift the rock. For once, there was no emotion in his voice as he spoke, "Two things have become obvious, if something isn't done here and now, you will be dead before I finish telling you everything I need to tell you, and the sight and stench of my burnt body may be enough to send you into the panic attack that kills you. I am going to do something that will at least in the short term solve these problems." Standing up, slowly moving to the roots of a tree that had busted through the roof of the stone structure, Hiroshu placed one of his hands on the roots.

Mentally saying the command, "Upon on to you my wounds, upon on to me your health." The roots began to dry and rot, the bark of the tree blacked and became charred. The tracker's loose skin reattached to muscle and became firm, the blackness faded away, however, instead of soft pink skin, the flesh became brown, harden, and bark like. The former farmer, no longer had a awful stench but smelled of pine cones. Suki frozen with shock as Hiroshu let go of the now dead roots and with purpose strolled right up to her. "This won't last long, trees aren't very nourishing and as you can see have a bit of a side effect. Of course, considering the other possible options, it had to be the tree." He said with a slight cheeriness.

Still frozen with shock and fear, Suki could only manage a couple of lonely tears running down the sides of her face as he placed a cold rough hand on her bare thigh. "Please, be relaxed, I am not going to harm you." He stated in a barely heard whisper next to the frighten and dying child's ear. Once again, mentally saying the commands but with a slight difference, "Upon on to you my health. Upon on to me your wounds." Suki felt a wave of pure light flow into her, while feeling a river of darkness flow out of her. The taste of blood in her mouth was replaced with a slight taste of pine. The leader of the Kyoshi warriors watched as cuts and bruises on her body faded and disappeared to only reappear on Hiroshu in the exact same places on him as they had been on her. When the former farmer finally removed his hand from her bare thigh, the young lass felt like she could take on those three fire nation witches by herself, and had never felt this good before. Suki noticed that in contrast the broken man before her had to crawl to get back to where he had been sitting before. With a mixture of awe, happiness, fear, shock, and above all now curiosity, the now humble warrior managed to stammer out, "How,…how did you do that? Who,…or what are you?"

Hiroshu smiled widely, softly chuckled, and spat out some blood toward the fire. While he spoke he weakly put another log on the fire, "Now, my dear Suki, that would be getting ahead in the story. Despite, this time, my appearance we have plenty of time to get there, but other parts must be told first. Please, sit down, pull the cloak tight and continue to warm yourself by the fire, though the rain has let up it is still coming down pretty hard out there, so there is nowhere else to go for the time being." As the attractive young lady did what he had asked of her, the former farmer realized that Suki was wrapped in the same cloak that his beloved Kyoko wore that night so many years ago at Hugging Pines Waterfall. "I do believe it is time for me to restart my tale."

The leader of the Kyoshi warriors smiled warmly and nodded for Hiroshu to go on. This time she very much wanted to hear what he had to say. Because he may just become her weapon of revenge against those three fire nation witches. All she needed to do was figure out how he had switched those wounds.

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	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

Part 2

"Oh my spirits! That is the most beautiful sight I have even seen, Hiroshu." She finally managed to say, shortly after regaining her breathe. The noble young lass with the sparklingly beautiful emerald eyes turned to face the man who had brought Kyoko a long way to show her the spectacular double night rainbows. "Hiroshu, it's my turn to ask you to close your eyes." Kyoko, said in a very soft, warm, sly tone.

As the farmer's cheeks became a deeper shade of red, he eagerly closed his eyes in anticipation of what he was sure was coming next, even leaning forward with puckered lips. Suddenly, the air became very dry and warm, and with the surprise of this drastic change Hiroshu lost his balance, stumbled forward, and fell flat on his face. This saved his life as a tongue of flame flared over the farmer's back scorching both, the hair on the back of his neck and head, and the plants just behind where the would be lover had been standing just a few moments before hitting the wet ground face first. Purely out of fear, and going strictly on instinct, the panicked man, while still laying flat on his stomach and never looking up, thrust both arms forward with hands completely open, turned the palms facing up, and in a very quick motion swept the arms up and backwards, crossing them over his head and slapping the back of both shoulders with the opposite hand.

A part of the waterfall ruefully quit playing with the rainbow and reach out toward the frighten farmer, which seem to have made the rainbows mad since they quickly left. The water slammed down on Hiroshu with enough force to snap several trees, in a show of displeasure at having it's fun disrupted. After a few moments the waterfall ignored the little man that had called it to his aid, and went back to gently caressing the ravine, which in turned called the rainbows back. Having made up with each other the rainbow and falling water went back to playfully dancing across the ravine, leaving the confused Hiroshu laying face first in mud pondering what had just happen.

Hiroshu slowly opened his eyes as he rolled over on his back. As the farmer sat up and started to regain his wits he called out, "Kyoko! Are you okay!? Kyoko?" Still dazed a bit the water bender looked at his surroundings and saw nothing but the splintered and twisted remains of the trees that the arm of the waterfall had angrily destroyed. "I,… did,… all this?" Hiroshu said in a whisper aloud to himself. This time in a loud, clear, but shocked voice he said, "By the spirits of the four elements, I am barely a bender, I was just trying to create a water whip, how could I have done this?" A look of sheer horrific terror moved across the ever paling man's face, as he remembered the young lass who had been about to kiss him. His thoughts turning to not so pleasant visions of him having washed her over the edge of the ravine, impaled her with a broken tree limb, crushed her with a fallen pine, or simply drowned her in the wave of water. "**KYOKO!!! KYYYOOOOKKOOOO!!!!!!! Oh my, I love you! Please, be alright, please answer me, KYOKO!**" He shot up from where he was sitting with moisture beginning to rim his eyes. With dismay wrapping him in cocoon of his own fears of having probably killed the girl with the sparklingly beautiful emerald eyes that he loved, Hiroshu tripped over the mangled remains of a once mighty evergreen and fell again face first.

Instead of landing in mud, the farmer laid across the remains of the tree he had tripped on. Despair so firmly gripped his heart in it's cold hands, that farmer pleaded with the spirits to end his life and to allow Kyoko's spirit to rest in eternal bliss. In the darkness somewhere behind and to the right of Hiroshu, a voice so lifeless and filled with malice that as it spoke the earth herself shivered. "Why would we listen to the pleads of a man, who is powerful enough of a water bender to make Hugging Pines leave his colorful lover behind to fight for him, but is so weak of spirit that he can't even put aside his emotions to fight for his beloved?" The only part of the water bender not frozen with fear was his bladder that had emptied it's entire contents down the side of his leg. In tone both mocking and spiteful, the being in the darkness continued, "Instead, he begs 'Kill me, Kill me!' Bah,…he does this even though the wench lives and still can be saved."

Upon hearing his Kyoko is alive, Hiroshu manages to push his fear down enough to turn toward the voice in the darkness. Then in a tumbling voice, but filled with determination, "Where is she, and how might I save her?" Thinking to himself, "I am nothing, she is everything, she is worth fighting for, even if it means my total destruction." Getting into what the farmer thought was a good fighting stance and raising his arms in front of him, he managed in voice of shaky confidence, "I am not fighter, never had been, and from the looks of it I never will get the chance to be, but if I have to fight you to get Kyoko back then let's get on with it." Moisture once more rimmed his eyes and began to leave a salty trail down the side of his face as the bender charged the darkness head on.

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A thoroughly enthralled Suki noticed, Hiroshu was slightly trembling, fighting back tears, and swallowing hard as he paused describing his encounter at the Hugging Pines Waterfall. With genuine concern she asked, "Hiroshu? Are you going to be fine?" The former farmer gestured with his right hand that he needed a moment. The Kyoshi warrior bowed her head in respect and while waiting for him to have his moment alone with his thoughts, picked up a simple tin mug they had placed at the entrance of the shelter to collect water. While checking to make sure his tattered cloak was fixed around her so she wouldn't be showing body parts only her future husband should ever see, Suki briefly thought of Sokka and that wonderful kiss they shared the last time they were together. She then stood up, walked over, and kneeled down next to the tracker and held the cup in a manner to offer him a drink.

The former farmer smiled warmly and tilted his head forward to allow the young lady to give him a drink of the cool but a bit muddy water. "Arigato gozaimasu, Suki-chan." The adult male said in a very respectful tone.

In the warm glow of the fire neither could notice the darkening pigment of Suki's face at the use of such a polite form of thank you and the use of the suffix chan, which was rarely used anymore, but generally only use by a girl's father, not by a stranger. She decided to let it pass, it was obvious he had gone through a lot of tragedy in his life even before the former farmer had started sharing his experiences with her. The leader of the Kyoshi warriors realized that kindness was not something Hiroshu had been party to much in his travels. In warmed her heart and body a bit that a man having gone through what he has, might have over responded with the kindness, instead of becoming a harden, uncaring madman. "Your welcome, Hiroshu. Take your time, I am no hurry." Suki stated in a soothing style, as she sat back down, and then put the tin cup to her lips and drank the remaining dirty water.

"So, you're a water bender? How come I haven't seen you bend?" The charming young lady asked in a truly interested manner. "Well, water bend that is, because I have seen you,…health bending?" Suki further asked, "I thought a person could only bend one element?"

"I don't bend anything. Um,…Well, I don't anymore anyway," Hiroshu commented in a slightly angry tone. "I am no longer capable of water bending. I haven't bended water since that fight at Hugging Pines Waterfall nearly 20 years ago. As for the other, it isn't bending, I know it seems that way but it just isn't."

Taken a bit back, the young lass started to say, "Sorry,…I…didn't…"

"No, it's me who should be sorry. I,…" his voice trailing off. "Suki, I think it is time we should get some sleep. For in the morning if the rain breaks and clears out a bit I think we should head for Hugging Pines. It is only about 45 minutes away." Uncertainty, had crept in to his voice.

"Why go there? I thought it was a very dangerous place?" The head Kyoshi warriors had a bad feeling about where the conversation was going quickly.

Breathing slowly, turning his head away from her and staring at the back side of the stone structure, Hiroshu explained, "I have lied to you and am truly sorry for it, though I don't know how many Kyoshi warriors were with you initially, however, I do know where five of them can be found." Sorrow was in his tone and across his face, as he added, "I'll take you to them after we get some sleep."

Suki glared at the tracker. "You knew where the rest of them were and didn't tell me!? Why?" The young warrior demanded, picking up a rock and readying it to throw in self-defense.

Sighing, the former water bender, calmly and plainly stated, "When I reunite you with the rest of your group, it will became obvious as why I lied. Suki, please know whatever happens tomorrow, and no matter how much you are angry with me right now. I will be there for you, to help you, because no one should go through such things alone." Slumping his head down into his chest, he added, "Now get some sleep, it's not going to be a good day tomorrow." With that the tracker closed his eyes and went to sleep.

"Here I began to believe in him, and turns out he lied to me," she thought to herself. "Well, at least in morning I will be reconnected with the rest of my friends. He did say there were five of them so everyone is together, the only one missing is me." However, just quickly she finished that thought another entered her mind. A very alarming thought, a very unpleasant thought, and the only thought that made much sense with what Hiroshu had communicated, he wasn't taking her to rejoin them, he was taking her to their graves. Suki quietly cried herself to sleep and began to have an recurring dream.

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	3. Chapter 1 Part 3

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Avatar, and/or own any part of Avatar. I am just having some fun writing a story set in that world.

Part 3

"No! Appa get out of here! We'll be alright, you must find Aang, now go!" The leader of the Kyoshi warriors said as she waved a lit fire stick back and forth in the air in attempt to force Appa to leave. Finally, Appa turned and flew away into the afternoon sun leaving the six young female warriors from Kyoshi island to face the three fire nation witches by themselves. With that done, Suki dropped the fire stick, turned to face the head fire witch, opened her war fan, and dropped down into a defensive stance. Quickly glancing around, moving only her eyes, she noticed Chow was pinned to a tree, Kyori was slumped over a log unmoving, Lyn Dee with her shield arm hanging limply was barely holding her ground against what appeared as a leaping pink blur, and neither the two remaining Kyoshi warriors or the knife throwing fire nation witch were anywhere Suki could see them.

Mockingly, the head fire witch called to Suki, "Don't you know fans only make the flames stronger!?" With a look of supreme confidence on her face and hungry blue cracking flames engulfing both hands eagerly awaiting her command to burn, the leader of the fire witches charged the leader of the Kyoshi warriors. Suki countered charged, batted away one hand of her opponent with the shield, ducked under the blue flame coming from the other hand of the head witch, and managed to get a swipe in with the fan. Though she missed with the war fan the over confident fire nation girl had to jump back and the two were again facing each other in defensive positions. Surprising Suki, the head witch stood up in a relaxed normal stance, used her right hand to flip back a long bang of hair as she placed the other hand on her hip. With a playful sneer on her face and a shockingly gentle tone in her voice, the fire nation leader crooned, "Well, I am so glad you didn't go down on the first pass, at least that means I can actually boast about beating your little play group of pretend warriors instead of being ashamed of squashing a bunch of harmless piss ants."

While keeping her eyes focused on the smug witch Suki though, "You keep thinking that way, your superiority complex is going to be your down fall. Now Suki, keep your eyes on her. Don't give away what is coming" The leader of the Kyoshi warriors had finally spotted Naomi, and Opal moving quietly up and behind the fire witch and would take her by surprise if Suki didn't give them away. Shouting at her high and mighty opponent, "Oh really, then why are you just standing there like a confused old woman. You seem like you already know you are going to lose." The warrior's ploy seemed to work. The smug witch's look changed to one of cold evil, she spread her legs wide, touched the tips of the middle and fore fingers of both hands together in front of her while closing the rest of the fingers and thumbs into her palms, and then rotating first the right arm up and to the right, back down and to the center with highly charged energy trailing from the tips of the two extended fingers, then the left arm in a reverse pattern of the right arm also trailing the barely contained energy.

"This is it, Naomi and Opal are in position and the witch hasn't noticed them." Silently reciting a thankful prayer to herself, Suki raised her shield to block the attack and allow her fellow warriors to surprise the arrogant fool. She couldn't help but let a sly smile slide across her face only to have it suddenly turn to shock as she felt a series of short jabs upon her body. As the helpless leader of the Kyoshi warriors fell to the ground she saw the leader of the fire nation witches make a very quick turn around and release the full force of her lightning bolt right into the chests of Naomi and Opal at the peak of their jumps. Naomi caught the larger force of the blast and was throw a good 15-20 ft backwards crashing hard into a small pine tree, while Opal dropped straight down to the ground landing hard on her knees. With most of her long brown hair burned off, the petite and youngest of the Kyoshi warriors tried to raise up from her knees. The head witch did a spinning heel kick that caught the last of the Kyoshi warriors squarely on the chin, and with what sounded like wood splintering, Opal's head turned to face out over her back before she limply crashed to the forest floor.

"Well, that was too easy and too short." Said the knife thrower in a very deadpan and bored manner. "Now what? Still no avatar or your uncle or your brother, Azula."

In a mischievous tone Azula said, "Mai, Ty Lee, I do believe we have been presented an opportunity here. Strip them all of their clothes, armor, head bands, and weapons. Girls we are going to get into Ba Sing Se now."

"What are we going to do with the Kyoshi warriors after we take all their stuff?" Asked Ty Lee in a perky and spirited way that seemed very much in contrast to the gruesome fight that had just taken place.

Giving a small shrug, Azula in an uninterested voice stated, "Just leave them where they lay, those two are already dead and if legends of the near by falls are true then the rest will be dead shortly after nightfall. Which means we need to get moving the darkness will be here soon."

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Breathing hard with sweat running down her face and back, clinging to her skin like early morning frost Suki quickly sat straight up. Heart beating faster than a pair of flapping humming bird wings, it took a few moments for the young lady to realize she was in the small stone structure and not back at the site of the defeat of the Kyoshi warriors. It had been just a dream, a mental replay of what had happened that day in the recent past, that day she, the leader of the best warriors of Kyoshi island, let her friends down and led them to a very humiliating and deadly defeat. Pulling her legs back, holding her knees against her chest, and placing her chin on her knees, the failed leader whispered a pray asking for forgiveness from her fallen comrades.

Hearing what sounded like mild laughter coming from outside the shelter Suki looked over in Hiroshu's direction to ask if he had heard it too. He wasn't there, he wasn't anywhere inside the stone structure. Only her, the fire and his worn out cloak were present. Again, the mild laughter taunted from the darkness outside the entrance. However, this time Suki recognized the two female voices that were laughing. "Could it be? Oh please, let it be them," was her thought as the young woman stood up. She was so excited about the possibility of who was out there laughing that Suki didn't even bother covering herself with Hiroshu's cloak before running over to the entrance, barely miss stepping on the nearly burn out fire.

Joyfully shouting, "Naomi, Opal, I am in here! I swore the fire nation wit…" Was all she got out before the two laughing figures stepped out of the darkness into the light of the fire at the shelter's entrance. "No, no this can't be." Suki mouthed, as she stumbled backwards, her bare feet slipping on the forgotten cloak. The startled Kyoshi warrior fell backwards landing partly in what was left of the fire. Screaming from the intense burning pain racing across her left arm and ribs, Suki rolled out of the fire. "Egad the smell! Who knew one's own burnt flesh would smell so sickeningly sweet!?"

"Well, I do believe I could have told you that my dear leader." The speaker was a stout young female wearing the armor of a Kyoshi warrior. The armor had scorched marks all over it with a gaping hole in it just above the left breast plate. Charred and blistered flesh peeked out from the hole in the armor. "It is down right an awful stench isn't it, Suki my friend?" Said the dead warrior, in amusement as she raised a withered and blackened hand to motion for the other figure to come closer. As bad as the physical pain was, and it was the worse pain Suki had ever felt, it did not come close to matching the intense white hot pain she felt in her heart at the sight of her friend. Especially, when the leader of the Kyoshi warriors had tried to look her friend in the eyes, and could only see the emptied sockets from which the lightning had melted away her follower's eyes.

Choking on the words as she spoke, Suki asked, "Naomi, how…?"

"See Opal? I told you she would recognize us, though she doesn't look too happy to see us right now." Merrily, Naomi continued to speak, "How are we here? I would think the how is less important than the why are we are here, wouldn't you say, Opal?" Naomi's voice abruptly becoming very harsh and unforgiving.

With few hairs left on a head still turned completely backwards on a petite nude body, Opal somehow managed to slide right next to Suki. The frightened leader tried to move but was too drained by the sight of her dead friends and the sorrow in her heart for having failed them, to do anything else other than to sit there. Being barely thirteen autumns old, the youngest of the Kyoshi warriors, Opal placed her hands on either side of her head and with the sound of ripping flesh and cracking bone turned her head back into the proper position. To keep her head from loosely rolling around on her shoulders, the small warrior kept her hands placed around her neck. She seemed to drip venom with every word she spoke to Suki. "WHY! Why are we are here!? Because this coward wouldn't stand and fight when we needed her the most. Because this glorious leader of ours had to chase off our best chance for victory." The stone structure seemed to shake from the thunderous sound of Opal's rage with each statement she spoke. "Worse of all, this harpy snake let them defile our bodies and take our warrior's outfit without so much as a whimper from her." Suki's ears started to bleed from the echoing of her accuser's voice.

"You know, Opal? Suki had always hated us. She was fearful that we were better than her and would soon replace her."

"In hind sight it appears we were better than her and should have replaced her." And with that Opal kicked Suki hard enough in the gut to lift the former leader a foot off the ground. "I bet her heart is nearly as black as Fire Princess Azula's heart. Care to see Naomi?"

"I am nothing like that witch, I didn't hate you all, and I would have gladly followed either of you if that is what the warriors had wanted." Through clenched teeth and in a manner that showed Suki was beginning to regain control of her fear, if none of her other emotions, said, "In fact, go ahead rip my heart out and see how black it is, if that is what you both want to do, it hurts too much to keep it anyway."

"Hehe… Oh my, such the dramatics from such an easily defeated foe." The familiar coldly evil female's voice was heard from the darkness behind Suki. "You did turn out more like a piss ant than a warrior after all. Though, not because of your lack of skill, but because you set a trap to eliminate your underlings. You are like me, and your heart will soon be as black as mine." Stepping around the two dead and the one living Kyoshi warrior, Azula continued her taunt. "Mai, Ty Lee, hold her still and let's compare our hearts." Naomi morphed into Mai, and Opal into Ty Lee, with each grabbing one of Suki's arms and easily holding the confused Kyoshi warrior in place. Watching with a near morbid fascination, Suki couldn't peel her eyes away from Azula as the fire nation witch reached into her own chest and pulled out a heart of solid black stone that pulsed with a great inner blue flame. That sight made Suki's own heart jump into her throat. Azula then stuck a hand into the shocked young woman's mouth reaching part of the way down her throat, pulling the heart the rest of the way out and holding it up in front of Suki's eyes. Horror filled the empty void in the failed leader's chest, while despair danced on her face. There before her, pulsating, was a heart of crystallized dark gray stone with a inner burning black flame.

"This can't be real, I never truly woke up, I am still dreaming!" The leader of the Kyoshi warriors believed her words had to be true, despite how real the physical pain seemed. The emotional pain was real, but there was nothing that could be done about it right now other than not to let it keep her from acting. "Go away, none of you are real and I am no longer going to play this game." Suki said with determination.

As the three phony fire nation witches lost shape and were replaced by three foamless dark shadows with huge smiling mouths filled with sharp looking teeth. The one that had worn Azula's form, in a tone so lifeless and filled with malice that it made the earth herself shiver, "While indeed this is a dream young one, it is far more real than you could possibly know."

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Hiroshu heard the young lass cry out in her sleep, and lifted his head from his chest to look around. At first he didn't see anything but Suki tossing back and forth by the fire as she slept in turmoil. Closing his eyes and issuing a mental command to the spea-re-fire stones embedded in his wrists, in his mind the room became bright as high sun and he could clearly see the three shade spirits taunting Suki. Issuing a different command to the spea-re-fire stones the shades could feel his presence now and they turned to face the former farmer and who now was a spirit tracker.

"So the fight begins anew does it Grruulle? I think you won't find me such an easy mark this time." A confident Hiroshu went into a proper and powerful stance unlike last time he faced Grruulle at the Hugging Pines Waterfall nearly 20 years ago. The two smaller shade spirits melted into the shadows as soon as they recognized who was staring them down with those furious ice blue eyes. The big one just smiled even wider.

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Suki no longer knowing what to trust was real and what wasn't, went to a defensive posture. Just as she thought the three shadows were going to attack they suddenly turned around and stared at the spot where Hiroshu had been sleeping. Yet, he was still no where to be seen. "What is going on now?" thought the young warrior as two of the shadows fled into nothingness. Then the last one gave the largest smile she had ever seen to the empty spot on the other side of the shelter. After a few moments the last shadow seemed to bow to the still empty spot, turned to face Suki, and plainly stated, "Don't stray to far away from your protector miss, or I will have you." As the last shadow faded away, in a lustful undertone, "By the way, that is a mighty fine…"

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Suki sat up and looked around. This time it appeared she was actually awake. There was Hiroshu still sleeping in a sitting position with his chin buried in his chest. She started to call to him, but strangely decided to let him sleep. Even more strangely, she wasn't sure what had awoken her. So, the Kyoshi warrior laid her head down and fell immediately back to sleep. This time her dreams were very pleasant mainly focused on Sokka, herself, and an nice cottage style house over looking the bay of Kyoshi.

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Standing over the top of Suki with both of his hands glowing with a soft orange radiance, and placed on the temples of her head, Hiroshu in a soothing whisper, "Sleep well Suki-chan, dream of love ones and peace. Remember not the nightmares for they are not real." Removing his hands, the former farmer leaned over and pulled the cloak up a bit to the cover her more, then finally gently kissed her on the top of her forehead. Going back to his spot across the fire from the young lass Hiroshu quietly reflected on what the spirit shades had shown Suki. "I am so sorry dear one. The taint is already growing, I didn't think I had to heal you that much. That means we're going to have to move things up just a bit."

As the spirit tracker kept hearing his father's stern voice echoing in his head, "Remember, every time you take, you must give. Every time you give, you must take. There is no way around this fact." Two other thoughts also played across his mind: "I couldn't be more proud of you Suki-chan than if you were my own daughter." and "I really hope the face stealer decides to stay out of this or tomorrow is going to be a really bad day."

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	4. Chapter 2 part 1

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Avatar, and/or own any part of Avatar. I am just having some fun writing a story set in that world.

Title: The Walking Dead Man

Chapter 2

Remembrances, Reunions, and Retributions

Part 1

"Suki!!! Get in here and see what your two sons have done now!" Sokka shouted from the kitchen in an angry tone.

"Not today of all days," she thought. Sighing and dropping her shoulders in frustration Suki put down the piece of armor she was repairing and wiped off dirty hands on her apron as left the workroom heading toward the kitchen. Standing at the entrance to the kitchen were her and Sokka's two young sons looking like they were expecting to be boiled in oil. Under her breathe to herself, "If they put Momo in the oven again to try to dry him off, I might just boil them in oil, for it took weeks to quit finding lemur hair in our food when using the oven, and even longer before the smell was gone." Shaking her head with a disapproving look on her face, Suki calmly told her children, "Hakoda, Huu, your father better be overreacting or the two of you aren't going to be able to sit down for a week. And no but moms…" Steeling herself for what her husband was about to show her, Suki paused for a moment then walked into the kitchen.

Seeing his wife entering the room Sokka pointed toward the pantry and with a world is ending type of look stated in barely contained rage, "Look in there, you aren't going to believe the mess **your two sons** made in there!" Stepping out of the way to let her walk pass him, Sokka motioned for their sons to enter the room with one hand while quietly grabbing something from behind the stove with the other.

"You know they are you sons too, Sokka." Said Suki as she looked into the pantry and saw perfectly clean and straighten shelves. Everything was in it's place and there wasn't even a spot of dust anywhere. Confused by what she was seeing Suki turned slowly around to ask what was going on.

"SURPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM", yelled enthusiastically Hakoda and Huu. Taken back by the sudden shout Suki couldn't believe her eyes. Hakoda was holding out a birthday cake that judging from the way it leaned and how uneven the icing was her sons had made themselves. Huu was unfolding a brand new war fan stamped with symbols of the Southern Water Tribe and Kyoshi Island interlaced with the names of her children. As a single tear run down her face Suki finally turned to face her husband.

"You thought we had forgotten your special day didn't you?" asked Sokka in an all too knowing and gentle tone. Pulling his right hand from behind his back, he presented his wife with a dozen rainbow roses that changed colors as they moved through the air. "Happy birthday my love, you make me complete and I am nothing without you and our sons." Sokka and Suki lock lips in a very passion filled kiss while Hakoda and Huu made smooching and gagging sounds. Watching from the back corner of the kitchen unnoticed by the happy family with a mixture of both happiness and sadness in his heart was Hiroshu.

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Hiroshu opened his icy blue eyes as the orange glow of the spea-re-fire stones faded away from his wrists. "I hope Suki-chan I can help you make your dream come true, this Sokka fellow must be very special to you. He better treat you right or I'll separate his spirit from his body and serve it to Grruulle's master myself." Allowing the thought to pass, the tracker looked over at the young lass to see her contently sleeping with his worn out cloak still pulled tightly around her. Stirring the hodgepodge of food in the earthen pot the former farmer had on the fire cause a whiff of flavorful aroma to raise up and meet his nose. "Well, at least that smells much better than burnt flesh," sarcastically he thought. Again glancing in the Kyoshi warrior's direction, "I think I'll let Suki enjoy her dream a little bit longer without me watching this time. I am amazed that she had the strength of will to nearly fight off the mental incursions of three shade spirits at once without help." Softly chuckling to himself, he tasted his concoction and smiled at the fact that it didn't make him want to spit it out. Speaking aloud toward Suki, "I couldn't even fend off one of those creatures, of course, you are a trained warrior where as I was only farmer at the time." Seeing the sunlight was starting to enter the stone structure, the spirit tracker stood up, removed the pot from the dying fire, and walked over the sleeping beauty. "Guess it is time to wake her up," Hiroshu figured, and bent over to lightly shake the girl who, to him, was fast becoming the daughter the former farmer had lost so many years ago.

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Stalking thru a grove of fallen, shattered and dead giant pine trees the three formless figures were jumping from shadow to shadow as the sun started to crest the top of the ravine. Stopping briefly to watch as Hugging Pines waterfall waved goodbye to the night rainbows as they were chased off by a much bigger but much less beautiful normal rainbow. "The beauty of things bathed in light is so overrated…" spoke the shade whose voice sounded like a whisper carried upon the wind. "I know sunlight can't hurt us but I still don't like being out in it," spat the shade. "Of course, if '_Ice Eyes_' hadn't shown up we would be feasting in the darkness of that tormented girl's nightmares," stated the shade in both a disappointed and wishful manner.

Sounding like metal grinding on stone, the smaller of the other two shade spirits spoke. "Yeess, shiii wwwouudd ha..veee been ttaassty. Why wazz '_IIzz Eyess_' hyear?"

Rapidly turning around to face his lesser kin the big shade spirit Grruulle barked, "He is here because I have led back to here. He has served his purpose and I am no longer bound by our master to leave him alone." While most of the time emotions could not be seen in the physical form of a shade spirit, unlike humans or other types of spirits, Grruulle had a very sinister smile crossing his otherwise shapeless form and though he couldn't see it, the large shade could easily sense the nervous amazement within the whispering and grinding shades.

With panic creeping into it's utterances, "Are you totally baka? That spirit tracker has destroyed more of our kind than …" The whispering shade never finished it's rant as it's inky translucent form became a block of black ice.

Grruulle had taken the form of the spirit tracker back when '_Ice Eyes_' had been a farmer. Speaking in Hiroshu's voice, "Grriinnddeer, don't speak, your voice grates upon me to no end. One word and you will share Baannzzaai's fate." The form of Ice Eyes appeared to do some sort of dance that had over emphasized arm movements waving in front of him. Starting in the center of the frozen shade moving outwards, the black ice turn into ebony gas. As pressure from the expanding steam built, the outer ice started to crack and before all the ice had been converted Baannzzaai's body was blown apart into countless tiny crystals that instantly vaporized. The surrounding area seemed to grow duller as Grruulle laughed and changed back to his natural formless shape. "Grriinnddeer, you see that fool of a man gave up his water bending abilities to become what he is now to save the life a wench that didn't even love him."

The grinding shade uneasily backed away from the larger and obviously deadlier shade spirit. Then while Grruulle was occupied laughing and mocking the memory of Ice Eyes, Grriinnddeer quickly fled for the temple hidden behind Hugging Pines. He didn't know how the large shade had gain the ability to bend, much less have it affect spirits but the grinding spirit wasn't going to try to get Grruulle to tell him. His only thought now was to get to the temple and tell their master what had happen.

While watching the smaller frighten spirit run away, Grruulle's thoughts turned back to that fight so long ago and how one man's misbegotten love of a wench allowed the shade to hatch a plan that was finally nearing fruitarian. "Come great Ice Eyes and let's finish this where it started in the grove you so easily destroyed under reflection of the double night rainbows." He declared in a manner so filled with honest joy that both the real and spirit worlds actually stopped moving for a few moments due to the shock of the unnaturalness of it.

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	5. Chapter 2 Part 2

I am really begging here, but please leave some comments. I hope you all enjoy, thanks.

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Avatar, and/or own any part of Avatar. I am just having some fun writing a story set in that world.

Title: The Walking Dead Man

Chapter 2

Remembrances, Reunions, and Retributions

Part 2

As she sat up Suki cleared the gunk from her eyes. When she had finished the first thing the young lady noticed was Hiroshu slightly blushing, with his head turned and one of his hands next to his face to block his side vision, and using his other hand to point at a beat up old cloak lying over her waist and legs. With own her face now turning a very bright crimson color, the Kyoshi warrior suddenly remembered where she was and that she wasn't wearing any clothes. Quickly picking up the cloak and wrapping it around her in a manner that covered all the important body parts, her thoughts were, "Way to go girl, you just flashed a man old enough to be at least your father," and "Thank you, Hiroshu for having enough honor to look away."

"You may turn around now Hiroshu, I am covered and thank you for not looking most men would have stared." Suki sheepishly stated.

Compassionately Hiroshu said, "Your welcome, besides you are the age of my daughter and I could not stand the thought of any man, much less any my age or older, looking her that way. So, what right would I have to be upset with other men looking at her that way, if I would look at other men's daughters that way myself?"

Then in an effort to change topics, Suki asked "Whatever that is you have in that pot it smells really good!" In fact, it did smell good to Suki, she had to swallow to keep from drooling and her stomach grumbled in a reminder that the female warrior hadn't eaten in a few days.

The former farmer picked the earthen pot as he turned back around to face the young lass. "Smells better than anything else that has been cooked around here." Hiroshu said with a wink and smile. Sitting the stew next to Suki, the spirit tracker motioned for her to pick up the pot and drink it's contents. "That's probably the best way to eat it, considering we don't have any utensils, just be careful some of the meat might be a bit tough."

Eagerly, the hungry girl filled her mouth with as much of the stew as she could. Chewing the strange mixture of gamy meat, berries, leaves of some type and a couple of other things that she wasn't sure she wanted to know, Suki felt immediately better. After swallowing down the first mouthful the Kyoshi warrior quickly gulped some more before hitting a piece of meat she had to take time and actually chew.

"So, how does taste? You seem to like it anyway."

"Considering it's hot and I am cold, it's food and I am hungry, it tastes great!!" With that ringing endorsement Suki lifted the pot again to her lips to finish off the remainder of the strange stew.

Sofly chuckling to himself the former farmer said, "I am glad you find my cooking so satisfying. That's good because you are going to need your strength today." Hiroshu paused and then in a more somber tone, "After the recent events you have gone through I wish you didn't have to see what I am going to show you today. But I must take you to the rest of your friends."

The last remaining Kyoshi warrior sighed and steeled herself for the answer to what she was about to ask, knowing in all likelihood Hiroshu's response was going to rip her heart out. "They are all dead aren't they? I lead them to their deaths didn't I?" Suki managed to keep the flood gates from opening but still a rogue tear or two slipped passed her eyes as she vowed those three fire nation witches would suffer tenfold for what they had done. "In fact, I'll burn them, and see how they like the smell of their own flesh and the searing pain of the flames they like so much!" The young girl's thoughts were snapped and her attention directed to the former farmer when she realized that she had said what her thoughts were out loud. Then before Suki could contemplate any of it, she really got her first good look at Hiroshu since waking up and was totally taken back by what she saw. Leaves seemed to be growing out of the spirit tracker's head, his skin was once again bark like, and his mustache appeared to be made of pine needles. To top it all off he had a bit of a bluish outline to him. After a moment longer the female warrior realize everything had a bluish tint. Confusion rained all over Suki and threaten to drown her as she just wasn't able to understand what had or was happening to Hiroshu, the world around her, or even to herself.

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"Remember, every time you take, you must give. Every time you give, you must take. There is no way around this fact. Be very careful of what you give or take because the effects of mixing two spirits will have unique results, and while these results can be positive, just as often if not more so, the results will be negative. Hiroshu! Are you listening to me?" said the stern voice in the spirit tracker's head.

Seeing the young lass's eyes change color to that of blue diamonds, hearing the darkening of her heart and thoughts from the escaped words she did not mean to let out, and the feeling of confusion that was trying to trample over his own saneness through their shared connection, the former farmer answered under his breathe to the stern voice, "I heard the words, but I wasn't listening father." Realizing what was happening to Suki, Hiroshu rushed over to her, kneeled down, place a hand on each of her shoulders, and shouted to get through to the warrior within the dazed girl. "Suki! Suki-chan!! Focus your thoughts on my voice and your eyes on mine!" As the spirit tracker started to give a mental command to the spea-re-fire stone imbedded in his throat he noticed that it was own eyes staring back at him and deeply buried in those eyes were twin fierce burning black flames.

The shock of it caused Hiroshu to pause briefly before activating the spea-re-fire stone and that was just enough time to allow the leader of the Kyoshi warriors to strike. Feminine hands shot up and grabbed the larger wooden feeling hands of the former farmer as Suki slammed her forehead into the bridge of her opponent's nose. Reddish black blood spattered across the warrior's face as a sound, similar to the splitting of an over ripe melon, came from the collapsing nose of the spirit tracker. As she stood up the powerful warrior twisted and broke both of Hiroshu's wrists to expose the two orange jewels imbedded in them. In a very stern disapproving voice Suki scorned the defeated man. "Remember, every time you take, you must give. Every time you give, you must take. There is no way around this fact and yet you did not listen so you shall lose it all!"

Eyes blinded by blood, mind clouded by pain, and a heart shattered by regret Hiroshu weakly and barely got out, "Suki-chan,…fight it…you are stronger…", before the head Kyoshi warrior lifted her knee fast into his chin sending a fresh spray of blood into the air.

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"To the spirits of the stones your current master is no longer worthy of your loyalty and your knowledge. I am now the worthy successor to the line of the moon and the earth, you **will** give me your loyalty and your knowledge." As the heir to Kyoshi's legacy of female warriors defending those who could not defend themselves recited the words of control that legacy died and was replace with the legacy of the Spirit Trackers guardians of one the Temple of the One Element. At first faintly, then growing brighter as the newest Spirit Tracker preformed the rite, radiances of orange at her wrists, purple at her neck, and green at her ankles formed as the spea-re-fire stones implanted themselves into their new host. Once the ritual was completed Suki seemed to come back to herself.

Looking down at the very bloodied and broken man, who now was a former spirit tracker as well as a former farmer, the former Kyoshi warrior now understood everything that had been going on with both of them. Suki's thoughts crooned to her, "You aren't whole yet, you will die if you don't feed. Take him, all you need to do is touch him and it will be over quickly and beside he will be dead soon anyway and if you wait for that he will be no good for you." Then it hit her like a war hammer, it wasn't her own thoughts telling her to suck the spirit out of Hiroshu, it was the spirits that lived within the stones and were trying to exert control over her actions.

"No, you managed in a moment of weakness and confusion to change hosts, but I will not let you change my core being and I will not kill him!" Suki thought back. The spirit tracker sat down and cradled the head of Hiroshu in her lap. Touching her forehead to his, the young lass started to speak the healing transference command, "Your wounds are my wounds, my health is…" When she was interrupted by the dying man.

With his jaws shattered and his tongue nearly bit in two a loud mumble and shaking his head was the best the former farmer could muster. Yet, as she looked down into the gentle eyes that used to be her own, she knew, Suki just simply knew what Hiroshu was trying to tell her, listen to the stern voice of his father. The new spirit tracker started a transference command again, "Your health is my health, my wounds are your wounds." The former Kyoshi warrior kissed the top of the head of the man who had tried to protect her from the spirits but in the end couldn't protect himself as the spea-re-fire stones in her wrists started to glow orange to show the command had been accepted by the spirits within the jewel.

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Stilling looking out over the ravine, watching Hugging Pines waterfall covering everything in a fine mist as it crashed down on top of the big rocks trying to turn them into little rocks, Grruulle was happy with himself and wondering how late in the day it would be before '_Ice Eyes'_ showed up. Suddenly the large shade let loose a scream of agony so full of pain that several nearby trees exploded into hundreds of huge splinters. "Noooo… this can't beeee… I… can't be his… slavveee again!!" The shade faded into nothingness.

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The female spirit tracker stood up and looked at what little remained of Hiroshu. She had managed to sake her hunger and heal herself completely without taking on the plant like parts of the former spirit tracker, which gave the remains more of a look of some dried up dead plant than something that had once been human. Mentally speaking to the spea-re-fire stones, "What such a pathetic excuse for a spirit tracker no wonder you all rejected him!" With that Suki threw away Hiroshu's worn out cloak, and said to herself, "Let's go find some clothes, bury my friends, and then it's time for vengeance against some fire nation witches." She could feel, rather than see, the smiles of the spirits of the stones, as the jewels in her ankles glowed a faint green and the former Kyoshi warrior stepped into the shadows and her new life as a spirit tracker.

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As Suki walked into shadow of the entrance of the small stone structure and disappeared, lots of the rain water pooled near the little building started to flow up hill and enter the forgotten shire.

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	6. Chapter 2 Part 3

Part 3 

Bathed in a soft radiant orange light as he laid there on his back, the new arrival slowly took in the surroundings. The circular floor was made of clear crystal with colored marble inlays to from the four elemental symbols of water, earth, fire, and air laid on top of each other. The walls and ceiling seemed to be made of a translucent orange gem stone, which when light passed through it gave the place it's ambient glow. Along the walls where the floor would meet it, there was about a three foot wide ring of grayness in which shadows seemed to either escape from or fall into, depending upon how the man turned his head. The floor was warm and pulsed against the man's skin on his bare back and arms. This mildly surprised him as it had been a very long time since he had felt anything but icy coldness around him. As the man heard foot steps approach him, he raised to a sitting position, noticed another older gentleman spread out on the floor like himself, and saw an even older man walk toward them.

Cursing under his breathe as he rose to his feet, he knew where he was now, knew who the other two men were, and knew once again he was a slave. The only thing he didn't know was how he had been brought back into this accursed place. "Get up you son of a whore!! And you!! You #&# how dare you approach me as if I would merrily accept your control as guidance again!!" Grruulle screamed with such rage his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

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Still a bit dazed, the former tracker got to his feet just as Grruulle spat in the face of the man who had approached them. Hiroshu looked at himself and saw he looked like he did when his daughter had been born 15 years ago. His hair had just the first hint of gray in the temples, he had a bit of a belly on him from eating too well and being too happy in his life, but otherwise was in good physical health. Then taking a good look over at Grruulle, he noticed the shade spirit worn Hiroshu's form as he looked when they first fought at Hugging Pines on that night he gave up his water bending skills to save the love of his life, except much more muscular like a warrior than a farmer. "What a joke on me that turned out to be." Thought the former farmer, sarcastically to himself. Then he turned his attention to the man dressed as an earth bender that had come to greet them in this place that Hiroshu knew all too well.

"For once, I think I agree with Grruulle's opinion about something. Why couldn't you let me die a honorable death in trying to save that girl's soul?" Said with a combination of angry, regret, and hopelessness.

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The old earth bender just looked upon the two new arrivals with a sense of amusement. Neither of the two younger men, it seems, truly realizes what took place. "Maybe this might work out for the better and still accomplish what needs to be done." The gentleman said aloud and in a cheery mood, to the confusion of both Grruulle and Hiroshu. "Welcome home my sons, I think it is time to settle this feud between the two of you and decide which of you is the true Hiroshu. Here in the heart of one of the spea-re-fire stones is the perfect place to do such."

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End file.
